KEY SHOW THEMES TOP 5 PRODUCTION CARS TOP 5 CONCEPT CARS INTERIOR INNOVATIONS EXTERIOR INNOVATIONS TRADE SHOW EXTRAS
Massive Simplification An ongoing trend is the simplification of interiors: the removal of physical buttons, switches and knobs. These are being replaced by an array of touchscreen interfaces, touch control pads, and multifunctional rotary selectors. Many cars now contain perhaps a dozen physical buttons where a decade ago there were 40. Leading the way are BMW, Citroën and Kia with dual connected screens, while Peugeot and Ford show this trend in the mainstream. 1. Jaguar C-X17 Concept 2. Smart FourJoy Concept 3. Mercedes S-Class Coupe Concept 4. Volvo Concept Coupe 5. Citroën C-Cactus Concept 6. Kia Niro Concept 7. BMW i3
Contour Lines As the interior simplifies, so more subtle, new and intricate forms of detailing are being sought by designers in terms of color, materials and trim. One emergent trend at Frankfurt was the idea of using contour lines. Best seen on the Mercedes S-Class Coupe, contour lines feature on numerous main dashboard, door card and seat trim panels, accentuating the surface forms of each element - and are used to draw together the front and rear of the car. In some cases these were stitched or etched, in other cases layers build contours, and we also noted implied digital contouring. 1. + 2. Mercedes S-Class Coupe Concept 3. Renault Initiale Concept 4. Opel Monza Concept 5. Peugeot 308
Gear-shifters Are History Continuing to trend is the changing face of the gearshifter. As cars become increasingly electric (meaning they don t need a traditional gearbox), or move to automatic transmissions in Europe too (meaning the driver doesn t self-shift), the designer has the option to reinvent the gearstick - and place it in different positions, including out of the way - as the driver rarely needs access to touch a selector to change the gear ratio. 1. Mercedes S-Class has long used a selector wand on the column Now 2. Ford S-Max, 3. Opel Monza Concept and others follow suit, with no gearshifter on the center console 4. Porsche 918 gearshifter is a small toggle on the dash where you might expect the key to be 5. Volvo retains the central selector but in a crystal form which will become a new Volvo design signature 6. BMW i3 + 7. Citroën Cactus all feature stacked shifters with integrated starters, situated in unusual places
Textiles & Textures Automotive material use is of a notoriously narrow band, due to needing multiple properties including fire and stain resistance, lightfastness and being hard wearing. Yet manufacturers continue to experiment with new ideas - particularly in concept vehicles, some of which are gradually moving towards production reality. These materials are increasingly being used to tell a wider story - about environmental friendliness, premium, advanced manufacture, or local origin. 1. + 2. Kia Niro has a military feel with techno textile and reverse leather 3. Volvo uses Scandinavian materials - crystal, glass, grey wood - to celebrate its Swedish heritage 4. Citroën Cactus combines felt and leather and seat printing for a simple, easily recyclable, yet French feel 5. Renault Initiale uses printed seats, graduated in color - something that is destined for production 6. BMW i3 uses sustainable eucalyptus wood and recycled felt
Perforation Proliferation New takes on perforated materials were seen extensively at the Frankfurt show. One common trend was to run two perforated materials alongside one another - one with a large opening perforation next to one with fine perforation. Also on display were layers of perforation (Smart), perforations that faded out (Mercedes and Peugeot) and perforation patterns that mirrored other textures (Audi). Perforation is increasingly used to add detail, give a sense of depth and visually reduce mass in the interior. 1. Audi Sport Quattro Concept 2. Smart FourJoy Concept 3. Ford S-Max Concept 4. Mercedes S-Class Coupe Concept 5. Kia Soul 6. + 7. Lexus LF-NX Concept
Frankfurt Motor Show is the world s largest motor show This year s edition ran from September 10th - 22nd 1000+ exhibitors 1 million+ visitors predicted to attend High-end technology debuts include the Mercedes S-Class with self-drive capabilities, and the Nissan Nismo Smartwatch Premium models return as brands push upmarket with bigger and more expensive vehicles Frankfurt Motor Show